Health Foods West has been a fixture in the Five Points West area for 42 years, offering herbs, vitamins, supplements and other health products, but a fire swept through the store's building in December 2009, forcing the owners to close.

"We thought we would be open again this time last year," said general manager Judy Caples. "But it took a while for the building owner to get the place back together."

The store reopened the first week in July.

"All we did was turn the open light on," said John Caples, her husband, who helps at the store.

From there, the family said they have been surprised at the number of customers who already have returned to the store. "We didn't know what to expect," Judy Caples said. "We had heard if you were closed for six months, your customers go somewhere else."

Caples said her family is appreciative of the customers who have returned after such a lengthy absence.

It was her mother, Rita Powell, who bought Health Foods West 26 years ago. Powell, a native of Germany, had always had an interest in herbs and holistic healing. When the health food store was put up for sale by its previous owners, Powell asked her daughter to take a look at the place.

"When I visited the store back then, it was like stepping back in time," Caples said, noting the old-time feel and the way customers and the owners shared knowledge on using herbs and other supplements to stay healthy.

Powell bought Health Foods West, and gradually the store began to see an increase in its customer base. Caples said it's because of the assistance the workers at the store offer to those looking for advice on using herbs to stay healthy.

Caples and Powell are both herbalists. "We've learned this business together," Caples said.

It's their knowledge that brought Anderson into the store about eight years ago. Anderson said he came seeking advice on herbs and supplements to take and he found that the employees were helpful in telling him what he needed to use.

"I used to take 16 pills each day," Anderson said. "Now I use all herbs, or take just one pill a day."

Caples said the store's most popular items, bulk herbs, are not yet in stock, but are expected to be on the shelves within the next week. The family is planning a grand reopening ceremony at the store in August.